Chemical heater and composition of matter therefor.



T. M. PASCHAL.

CHEMICAL HEATER AND COMPOSITION OF MATTER THEREFOR.

APPLICATION men NOV. 22. 1913. RENEWED APR. 4. 1916.

l ,QU3R'76. Patented Nov. 7 1916.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS M. IPASCHAL, OIE SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS.

CHEMICAL HEATER AND COMPOSITION OF MATTER THEREFOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 7, 1916.

Application filed November 22, 1913, Serial No. 802,361. Renewed April4, 1916. Serial No. 88,957.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS M. PASCHAL, a citizen of the United States,residing at San Antonio, in the county of Bexar and State of Texas, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Chemical Heaters andCompositions of Matter Therefor; and I do hereby declare the followingto be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such aswill enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make anduse the same.

My invention relates to a heater'where the thermal change is produced bysome chemical or physical change, i. e., a chemical heater, and thecomposition which is employed in such device.

Various devices are known, and compositions as well, for filling them,in which the evolution of heat energy is efl'ected by means of somechemical re-agent.

Sodium hyposulfite is a substance, the heat of which is due to the factthat this salt is very soluble at high temperatures in water; in fact,solublein its own Water of hydration. On coo-ling, the crystals of thesalt separate out from the mother liquor, and the water may be used upin the formation of the crystals, and the mass becomes completely solid.

It is a Well knownlaw of physics that when a substance passes from theliquid to the solid form, it evolves heat, and conversely when it passesfrom the solid to the liquid it absorbs heat. If the transition can beprolonged, of course, the evolution of heat is prolonged, and made moregradual. If the phenomenon can be modified, so as to increase thedegree, or amount of solution,

at high temperatures, and decrease it at low temperatures, greater heatWill be produced.

My invention, so far as composition is concerned, relates to this.

I find that the crystallization, from a supersaturated solution of thesalt, is augmented on cooling bythe addition of a small per cent., say2%, .Or less, of rock salt, a. e., sodium chlorid, preferably in afinely divided solid form.

I am not able to say, with certainty, what part the salt plays in theprocess; but my theory is that the salt increases the degree of solutionat high temperatures and diminishes that solution at low temperatures,sothat at high temperatures more of the hyposulfite is dissolved; and atlow tempera,-

tures it is more completely crystallized outthan if the salt were notused.

I find that by the addition of a small percentage of a mineral earth,found near San Antonio, Texas, the efiiciency of the composition. seemsto be increased. This mineral earth has certain radio-active properties,which have a marked therapeutic value. I find that. the presence of thismineral earth in my composition gives me somewhat better results, 1'.0., the recrystallization is more prompt and certain. Probably this isdue to the physical presence in the solution of a certain amount ofsand-like material, forming granular cores, upon which the formation ofcrystals may begin. I am of the opinion that the formation of crystalsis also controlled, to some extent, by the radioactive quality of theearth. I believe that this quality hastens the genesis of the individualcrystals through some obscure action, the rationale of which I am notsure about. I know that the presence of this earth gives me betterresults, besides adding certain therapeutic qualities to the compound.

In using my composition, I heat it until it becomes liquid. I then pourit into any suitable container, and hermetically seal said container;and the operation is as will be hereinafter described.

Reference is had to the accompanying drawings, in which similarreference symbols indicate corresponding parts in the several views. V

Figure 1 represents a top view; Fig. 2 a section through a containersuch as I em. ploy; and Fig. 3 is a View of the plug, for closure.

I have represented a container usable as a foot warmer, or like a, hotwater bag. This container 1 consists of a short disk-shaped holder,preferably with flat sides; but the shape of the holder is notimportant.

I provide at one side, as at 2, an openi through which the receptaclemay be fille To close this opening, I provide a plug 3, which screwsdown into the opening. On one side of this plug is the slot or recess 4,to admit air. A milled head 5 is preferably provided, in which may beplaced, if desired, holes or notches for a screw threads get stuck.

I have found that the'setting of the crysspanner, 1n case the tals maybe hastened by the admision of air. For this reason, I provide the slot4,

. home,

access of air is prevented. When the plug is lifted, a littleair-enters, and the crystallization begins at once; the speed ofcrystallization, and the consequent degree of heat, varies in a measurewith the volume of air admitted, which may be varied by increasing ordecreasing the slot opening. The crystallization proceeds in a wideningzone, having the air inlet as its center, and in order to get the bestresults, the air inlet should be located in a central position, so thata larger mass of material may be subjected to the influx of air, but, ifdesired, a series of openings may be provided.

In using the device, .assuming that the container is filled withcrystals, the plug is screwed home, and the container placed in boilingwater, and boiled from 10 to 15 minutes. It is then removed, and may belaid aside for an indefinite period. Usually, it will cool as soon asany other liquid would cool. When I wish to use it to generate heat, Iturn the plug enough to admit alittle air, when the warmth begins atonce. The generation of warmth may be hastened by shaking the container.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Pat; ent of the United States is 1. A compound for releasingheat by crystallization from a supersaturated solution, and for storingheat by re-solution, consisting of a main ingredient for the purpose,and a second ingredient which augments the formation of crystals at lowtemperatures, and also augments under heat their re-solution.

2. A compound for releasing heat by crystallization from asupersaturated solution and for storin heat by re-solution consisting ofsodium yposulfite, and a second ingre ient which augments the formationof crystals at low temperatures and also augments their re-solution athigh temperatures.

3. A compound for releasing heat by crystallization from asupersaturated -solution and for storing heat by re-solution, consistingof an alkali hyposulfite as a main in gredient, and as a secondingredient for augmenting the formation of crystals, and also foraugmenting their re-solution, sodiumchlorid.

A. A chemical heat storing compound con sistin of sodium hyposulfite androck salt.

5. g chemical heat storing compound, consisting of sodium hyposulfiteninetyeight per cent. or more and two per cent. or less of rock salt.

6. A compound for storing heat consisting of sodium hyposulfite, rocksalt, and a radio-active substance.

7 A compound for storing heat consisting of sodium hyposulfiteninety-eight per cent. or more, sodium chlorid two per cent. or less,and in addition a mineral earth possessing radio-active qualities. I

8. A chemical heat storing compound consisting of an alkali hyposulfite,an alkali chlorid, and a radio-active mineral earth.

9. A chemical heater consisting of a vessel rovided with a closingdevice readily openable to the air, charged with a compound forreleasing heat by crystallization from a supersaturated solution,consisting of a main ingredient for the purpose, and a second 1nredientfor augmenting the formation of crystals at low temperatures, thecompound responding, for forming crystals, to the admission of air.

. 10. A chemical heater consisting of a vessel provided with a closurereadily openable to the air, charged with a compound consisting of analkaline hyposulfite, and sodium chlorid.

11. A chemical heater consisting of a vessel provided with a closurereadily openable to the air and charged with a mixture of sodiumchlorid, i. 6. rock salt, and a radio-active mineral earth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS M. PASCHAL.

Witnesses:

ERNEST WILKINSON, S. W. SGHARFF.

